Could Mercedes revive its famous “zero sidepods” philosophy under the 2026 F1 regulations? The radically different aerodynamic rules make the technical question worth exploring, but there is currently no evidence that Mercedes intends to design a new car with its sidepods reduced to the absolute minimum.
This is therefore a purely technical analysis, not a suggestion that Mercedes is preparing to repeat its W13 experiment. The 2026 regulations have fundamentally changed the architecture of Formula 1 cars, with a flatter floor concept, revised diffuser characteristics, active front and rear wings and a much greater emphasis on aerodynamic and energy efficiency.
How Mercedes zero sidepods could work under the 2026 F1 regulations
The Mercedes “zero sidepods” philosophy became famous with the W13. In 2022, Mercedes chose a configuration radically different from the designs adopted by most of its rivals, featuring extremely narrow lateral bodywork and very compact cooling inlets.
The philosophy was retained at the beginning of the W14 project. Mercedes was attempting to free as much space as possible around the sides of the car, giving its aerodynamicists greater freedom to manage the airflow travelling towards the rear.
Toto Wolff later acknowledged that Mercedes had learned a very painful lesson from that philosophy and would change its approach. The W14 therefore moved progressively away from the concept, adopting a much more conventional sidepod configuration.
Mercedes’ current design direction is very different, with the team instead developing the W17 sidepods, floor and diffuser as parts of a more conventional overall package.
Why the 2026 F1 regulations change the technical question
The fundamental point is that it would be misleading simply to take the W13 and imagine it competing under the current rules. The 2026 F1 regulations introduced an entirely new generation of cars and changed how their aerodynamic performance is produced.
The FIA reduced overall downforce and moved the cars away from the extreme ground-effect dependence of the previous generation. The Venturi tunnels introduced in 2022 have disappeared in favour of a flatter underfloor concept, while the diffuser now operates as part of a substantially different aerodynamic architecture.
Active front and rear wings have also been introduced, providing separate configurations for straights and corners. In Straight Mode, the movable elements adopt a low-drag position. In Corner Mode, they return to a configuration designed to generate more downforce.
The aerodynamic problem Mercedes faced in 2022 is consequently not the same problem its engineers would face today. Any modern interpretation of the zero-sidepod philosophy would need to be designed from the beginning around the 2026 regulations.
Why sidepods remain essential to an F1 car
A sidepod must perform two important functions simultaneously. The first is fundamental to reliability: it must allow the power unit and its associated systems to be cooled effectively.
The second function is aerodynamic. The sidepod helps manage the airflow travelling through the central section of the car and towards the floor, rear suspension, diffuser and rear wheels.
For an aerodynamicist, every centimetre of bodywork therefore represents a compromise. More bodywork can provide greater control over particular airflow structures, but it also introduces an additional surface that interacts with the air.
Reducing the amount of bodywork may free more space for the airflow, but it makes internal packaging—and particularly cooling—considerably more complicated. Mercedes’ original zero-sidepod philosophy was an attempt to find a completely different balance between those competing requirements.
What “zero sidepods” would mean in Formula 1 today
The 2026 F1 regulations have not eliminated sidepods. Lateral bodywork remains a regulated part of the car and must comply with specific volumes and surfaces defined by the technical rules.
Discussing zero sidepods in 2026 does not, therefore, mean literally removing them. It means imagining a solution in which the external volume of the lateral bodywork is reduced to the minimum permitted by the regulations and the car’s cooling requirements.
That distinction is important. A team could theoretically pursue extremely compact bodywork without producing a direct copy of the Mercedes W13.
The potential advantage would be cleaner airflow
If a designer could reduce the sidepod volume without compromising cooling, it could provide greater freedom to manage the air travelling between the front and rear of the car. The airflow could potentially be directed towards the rear with less interference from the bodywork.
However, less bodywork does not automatically mean more performance. The W13 demonstrated the danger of turning a promising aerodynamic idea into an overall concept that fails to work effectively on the circuit.
The central problem is not simply how little sidepod bodywork a car has. The crucial question is what happens to the airflow after that bodywork has been removed.
The interaction between the sidepods, floor and rear of the car remains a major development area throughout the 2026 grid, as shown by the continuing work on packages such as McLaren’s MCL40 rear-end upgrades.
Why a 2026 design would differ from the Mercedes W13
The W13 was created under the regulations that reintroduced ground-effect aerodynamics in 2022. That generation of cars depended heavily on the behaviour of the floor and its Venturi tunnels.
The 2026 F1 regulations changed that relationship. The flatter floor architecture and revised diffuser concept were introduced to reduce the dependence on extreme ground effect and highly sensitive operating windows.
The relationship between the sidepods, floor and lateral airflow must therefore be reconsidered. It would make little sense for Mercedes simply to reproduce the geometry used on the W13.
If Mercedes ever returned to an extremely compact sidepod solution, it would have to be a completely new design built specifically around the 2026 regulations. The success of the current car also demonstrates the importance of developing a cohesive package, with the W17’s broad operating window depending on far more than any single aerodynamic feature.
Active aerodynamics further changes the equation
Another important element did not exist when Mercedes introduced the W13: active aerodynamics. The 2026 cars can change the configuration of their front and rear wings depending on which part of the lap they are completing.
On designated straights, the system moves into Straight Mode to reduce drag. In corners, it returns to the higher-downforce Corner Mode configuration.
The car consequently has to perform efficiently in two different aerodynamic states rather than being optimised for only one fixed wing configuration. This is one reason why revisiting the zero-sidepod question is technically interesting.
At least in theory, extremely compact bodywork could be developed to improve the car’s overall efficiency across its different aerodynamic configurations. That remains a design possibility, however, rather than a guaranteed advantage.
Cooling and packaging remain the biggest limitations
The greatest challenge would still be packaging. The 2026 power units have different characteristics from the previous generation and place much greater emphasis on electrical power. The new regulations were designed to produce a far more balanced distribution between internal-combustion and electrical output.
Cooling and thermal management therefore remain fundamental. An extreme sidepod concept would have to combine several demanding requirements:
- Extremely compact sidepods
- Efficient power-unit and system cooling
- Highly sophisticated internal packaging
- Effective aerodynamic management of the airflow
If even one of those elements failed to perform as intended, any theoretical aerodynamic advantage could disappear. Packaging compromises could also create reliability problems or force the team to open additional cooling outlets, undermining the original objective of reducing the bodywork.
Why Mercedes is unlikely to revive the exact W13 concept
It is important to be clear: there are no indications that Mercedes is planning a return to zero sidepods. The history of the W13 and W14 instead demonstrates how risky it can be to build an entire aerodynamic philosophy around such an extreme solution.
Mercedes already abandoned that route during the previous regulatory cycle. The fact that the 2026 rules are different does not mean a concept that previously failed will automatically become successful.
Formula 1 does not reward ideas simply because they are original. It rewards them when circuit data proves that they work.
The team is currently focused on extracting more from its established W17 architecture. Toto Wolff has acknowledged that Mercedes still has untapped performance, while its development programme is centred on improving the existing package rather than publicly pursuing another radical sidepod revolution.
The technical question is different in 2026
This is the central point raised by the Effe1 Garage analysis. In 2022, the question was: “Can we build a competitive car with very little sidepod bodywork?”
Under the 2026 F1 regulations, the question would instead become: “How much lateral bodywork is genuinely required to achieve the best compromise between cooling and aerodynamic efficiency?”
Those are two completely different questions, and the second remains open. The regulations define what bodywork must exist, but they do not remove every opportunity for teams to interpret how that bodywork should be shaped.
A new concept would not simply copy the Mercedes W13
If a team decided to explore the philosophy again, the resulting car would not necessarily resemble the W13. A modern interpretation could feature:
- Extremely compact cooling inlets
- Reduced lateral bodywork
- More open space for airflow around the sides of the car
- A different approach to managing the area ahead of the rear wheels
- Completely redesigned power-unit packaging
- An aerodynamic philosophy developed around the active front and rear wings
In other words, it would not be a return to the past. It would be a new interpretation of the same underlying principle.
The real lesson Mercedes learned from the W13
The most important lesson from the W13 is not simply that zero sidepods “did not work”. It is that an individual aerodynamic solution cannot be judged separately from the rest of the car.
The sidepod shape influences the airflow. That airflow affects the floor, while the floor influences the diffuser. Cooling requirements determine the packaging, and the packaging dictates the available bodywork shape. Every element must operate together as part of a complete system.
That is why an apparently ingenious solution can fail when incorporated into a wider design architecture that does not function as expected. Mercedes’ subsequent approach to developing the W17 as a complete package reflects the importance of those interconnected relationships.
Is the door to Mercedes zero sidepods completely closed?
It is impossible to say that the door is entirely closed. The current technical regulations impose precise restrictions around the sidepod area, meaning a team cannot simply eliminate the lateral bodywork.
However, the rules still leave room for aerodynamic interpretation. The fundamental changes to the floor, wings and airflow structures mean designers could theoretically reconsider some ideas that were abandoned during the previous regulatory cycle.
That does not mean zero sidepods will return. It means an aerodynamicist working with the 2026 regulations could once again investigate how much lateral volume is genuinely necessary.
There is currently no evidence that Mercedes intends to bring back its zero-sidepod philosophy. From a technical perspective, however, the question remains interesting because the 2026 F1 regulations have created a completely different aerodynamic environment from the one in which the W13 and W14 were developed.
The floor and diffuser have changed, active wings have been introduced and the entire car must now be designed around aerodynamic efficiency and energy management. Zero sidepods should therefore not be considered an old design ready to be revived, but a principle that could theoretically be reinterpreted for the current rules.
That possibility is why one of the most radical technical ideas ever seen on a Mercedes remains a fascinating subject several years later—even if the team itself appears unlikely to revisit it.
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